An automobile windshield is held in place by a suitable bonding material such as urethane. Current systems for locating the windshield during installation, and holding it in position while the urethane cures and dries, have not been satisfactory, being relatively costly, requiring added labor and lacking flexibility.
The system of the present invention utilizes a special cam for locating the windshield and holding it while the urethane cures and dries. The cam preferably includes a body having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a bore formed at least partway into the body through the bottom surface. A lever arm extends rearwardly from the body. A nose extends forwardly from the body, having a cam surface which extends at least partially around the body. The cam surface includes a ramped portion between the top and bottom surfaces which is sloped outwardly and downwardly toward the bottom surface and extends circumferentially around the bore to define a compound wedge. The bore provides a cylindrical journal for guiding the body in an arc around the bore. The bore may receive a wiper module mounting stud for this purpose. The ramped portion of the cam surface may include a planar section which transitions into an arcuate section having a total arcuate extent of 90.degree. or more. The ramped portion extends upwardly preferably at a constant or fixed angle of between 30.degree. and 60.degree..
One object of this invention is to provide a cam for locating and holding a windshield in place during installation, having the foregoing features and capabilities.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a cam which accommodates a wide range of variations of windshield placement, is flexible so that it can be incorporated in many different vehicle systems with only slight modifications, is inexpensive to manufacture and does not require expensive tooling for its use, reduces labor costs and does not require the use of other fixtures for its maintenance and operation.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, especially when considered with the accompanying drawings.